Sunday, May 20, 2018

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1 First Lutheran Church First Hand May 2018 Mission Statement: Sharing God s grace through prayer, witness, and service. First Lutheran Church 208 West Sandusky Avenue Bellefontaine, Ohio Fax: Website: info@flcbellefontaine.org Pastor Larry Novak lnovak@flcbellefontaine.org Parish Secretary, Lisa Nevers- lnevers@flcbellefontaine.org Director of Music, Judy Vassar- jandlv321@gmail.com Bell Choir Director, Larry Walker- lwcw70@centurylink.net Inside this issue: From the Pastor s Desk 2 Director of Music 4 Learning/Christian Action Teams 5 Park Clean-Up 6 May Church Events Sunday, May 20, Check This Out! 9 Ready, Set, Safe 11 The Women s Corner 12 Faith & Friends Outing 13 Living Your Stewardship 14 Thank You 16 May Birthdays/Anniversaries 18 Serving in Worship 19 May Calendar 20 The deadline for newsletter articles for the month of June is May 14th. 1

2 FROM THE PASTOR S DESK Many young people in our congregation will be experiencing significant milestones in the month of May; both in their faith life and in their educational lives. On May 6, Lydia and Jade Smith will be baptized. On May 13, Lottie Bodin will receive her first communion (joining Noah Smith and Madison Shields, who had their first communion on Maundy Thursday). On May 20 th, Lauren Dixon, Conner Gamble, and Emma Heath will affirm their baptisms, as they are confirmed. We also have several teenagers who will graduate high school this month, including Tommy Belser, Madison Jones, Daniel Weikart, and Robby Weikart. May 2018 will indeed be a month filled with many happy celebrations. What better time could there possibly be to take a serious look at ways to improve our youth ministry? Gary Pecuch, the Youth and Family Congregational Coach for the Southern Ohio Synod, will be joining our council meeting on Monday, May 7, at 7:00 pm. to discuss ways to jump start youth ministry. I invite anyone who has a heart for this type of ministry to join us. When I was called to be your pastor, one matter that was listed as a mutual expectation that this congregation wanted me to give special attention to was; Growth for the church through children s programs that bring young adults, their children, their friends, and programs for other adults that they might have an interest in. Thanks to the work of many fine people in this congregation, we have had some successes. Last year s Vacation Bible School had more children than we have had in a long time. Last December s Children s Christmas Program was awesome. And we have seven teenagers who are ready to head to Houston for the National Youth Gathering. But there is so much more that we could be doing. I intend to make developing a strong youth ministry a major project of mine over the remainder of this year and into next year. Trying to jump-start a youth ministry leads to many questions: How can we increase biblical literacy in our youth? How can we help them love the Lord? What can parents do to help the church form their children s spiritual development? Do we have adults who are willing to be mentors to our confirmation students? Do we need to hire a youth director? If so, is it necessary that the youth director be young, hip, and relevant? What about a youth worship service, or youth group that joins with youth from other congregations? 2

3 But creating a strong youth ministry is not simply a matter of finding the right programs to run, the right youth director to hire, the right music to play, or the right kind of church service to have. Youth ministry needs to be fully integrated into every other ministry in this congregation. And we must reach out into the schools and neighborhoods, inviting children outside of our membership rolls to be a part of our events. And whether or not those children and their parents become members of this congregation is not the goal or the point. The question to ask is NOT whether what we are doing will put more seats in the pews on Sunday morning. The question to ask is: Is our youth ministry is building up the faith of our youth and advancing the kingdom of God? May 20 is Pentecost Sunday. When it comes to creating a strong youth ministry, we need the mighty power of the Holy Spirit resting like tongues of fire above all of us, making us willing to be bold, innovative, spirit-filled, and willing to take risks. I have no doubt that some ventures will be met with success while others will spectacularly fail. But I know that this congregation values it s children. As just as we want our youth to have a solid educational upbringing, as well as encouraging them to pursue whatever interests they may have; be it art, music, sports, or anything else, we also want them to have a strong faith life, where they not only know about Jesus, but they know Jesus. In the abiding hope of the empty tomb, Pastor Larry 3

4 Report of the Director of Music I do believe God is EVERYWHERE but Rudyard Kipling s quote does express the importance of mothers in everyday life. May is the month to honor women EVERYWHERE. Submitted by Judy Vassar 4

5 A Message from the Learning Ministry Team Plans for this year s Vacation Bible School have begun. More details will follow in the coming months, so make sure to watch upcoming bulletins and monthly newsletters. The final day of Sunday School classes for this school year will be May 27 th. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves and we look forward to seeing you again in the fall! A Message from the Christian Action Ministry Team Baby Bottle Campaign 2018 The New Path Pregnancy Resource Centers, Christian, pre-life centers, will hold its annual- Baby Bottle Campaign between Mother s Day, May 13 th and Father s Day, June 17 th. They are asking you to Spare Some Change to Help Spare of Life. We encourage all members to participate in this vital ministry. The Center is a locally organized and funded ministry, which offers life-affirming education to women and families. You are asked to pick-up a bottle and fill it with a check, cash, or coins and return them to the church. Look for the bottles in the lower narthex area. Out to Lunch Bunch- The May Out to Lunch Bunch will be going to Vittoria Italian Restaurant in Powell on Saturday, May 26 th at 5:30 pm. All are welcome to come and be a part of the fellowship. Contact Judy Vassar or the church office if you are interested or for more information. 5

6 Park Clean-up Oakland Square Park Christian Action Ministry Team has adopted taking care of Oakland Square Park as a community outreach project. The team members would like to ask the congregation to help them with various jobs such as cleaning, painting, raking, planting flowers, mulching and building a bench. Upcoming date that is scheduled for clean-up: Saturday, May 12 th ( 9 am 11 am) If you have your own hand tools, please bring them with you. Won t you help us take care of Oakland Square Park and do God s work with OUR hands! 6

7 ALTAR GUILD MEETING May 5, 2018 Thanks to ALL who help at Our Daily Bread. The next evening, we will serve is Monday evening, May 21 st. If you can t help us serve, but would still like to help, you could provide the dessert. This month we are asking for cupcakes. If you haven't had the chance to help at Our Daily Bread, please consider doing so. A sign-up sheet is in the upper narthex. Volunteers are asked to arrive at Our Daily Bread about 4:15 pm prior to the serving time of 4:30 pm. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the church office. As part of our celebration of the Holy Supper of our Lord, we are asking you to remember those around us who need to be fed. You can help keep the LCS pantry stocked by bringing basic food items on the first Sunday of each month. What is needed is canned items: especially fruits, vegetables, meats and soups; and basic non-perishable items: cereal, flour, sugar and juices. There is a basket in the upper narthex to receive your donations. Let s remember Food on the First as part of our monthly celebration of Holy Communion. Graduation Party! The Weikart Family is having a party in celebration of Robby & Daniel s graduation from high school. The party is May 26 th from 2:00 pm -5:00 pm in Rice Hall. All church members are invited to come and celebrate this with the family. The Church office will be closed on Monday, May 28 th in observance of Memorial Day. 7

8 We are planning a special event with the Men s Chorus, directed by Allen Hadley, for the worship service on May 13th in honor of Mother s Day. We will be combining voices with men from the Presbyterian Church, singing at FLC first and then head to the Presbyterian Church to sing during their service. Won t you come and be a part of this? We invite ALL men of FLC to come to a rehearsal on Wednesday evening, May 9th at 6:30 pm. If anyone has questions, please contact the church office. You are invited to join the 2:30 pm worship service at Green Hills Foundation Hall on Sunday, May 6th. This service will be led by members of First Lutheran Church. Quilt Raffle The quilt ladies of FLC are raffling off a handmade quilt to benefit the youth on their upcoming Gathering Trip to Houston. The quilt is on display in the lower narthex. Ticket prices are $1 each or 6 for $5 and will go on sale th Sunday, May 6 and 13th. The quilt ladies will draw a winner on Tuesday, May 15th. Stop by the table in the lower narthex to purchase your tickets or during church office hours. Thank you for your support! 175 th Church Picture Directory Anniversary Appeal Giving Numbers Total Pledges- $335, Giving summary as of April 22, 2018: Congregation Giving- $339, New Life Charitable Foundation- $125, Noisy $$$- 5, TOTAL GIVING TO DATE: 8 $470,080.30

9 The Monday afternoon Bible Study will begin again on May 7th. We will start an 8- week study on Genesis. Everyone is invited, including family members, neighbors and friends. Pentecost Sunday, May 20, 2018 To donate, just place a box or can of non-perishable food next to your mailbox before your letter carrier delivers mail on the second Saturday in May. The carrier will do the rest. The food is sorted, and delivered to Lutheran Community Services, where it is available for needy families. Are you interested in forming a youth ministry team or being a part of one? Would you like to have helpful information on how to start this process? You are invited to come to the Church Council meeting on Monday evening, May 7th, beginning at 7 pm in the church lounge. Gary Pecuch, Youth & Family Ministry Coach of the Southern Ohio Synod, will give directions of how to jump start a youth ministry program here at FLC. If this is something you have been considering starting or being a part of, but just don t know how to go about it, then please join us to get all the helpful tools and resources needed to begin and be a part of such an important ministry program for our youth. If anyone has questions prior to this meeting, please contact the church office. 9

10 May Ministry Team Meeting Dates: 5/7-7:00 pm Council w/ NLCF 5/12-9:00 am Property 5/21-7:00 pm Worship Ministry Team Highlights 2018 Church Council President Cheri Comstock Vice-President Chris McKenrick Secretary Liz Rose Members- Chris Gamble, Gail Keck, Adam Smith, Ray Swisher, Corey Van Hoose, Susan Wyckoff, Julie Zoldak Sunday Attendance for April 2018 April 1 (Easter) 200 April 8 87 April April April 29 TBA Sunday Worship Attendance Average: 119 Christian Action Ministry Team Park Clean-up days Learning Ministry Team 2018 VBS Sunday school classes Worship Ministry Team Summer Services Property Ministry Team Boiler issues F.L.I.R.T. church safety strategy Finance Ministry Team Monitor church finances Copies of reports from the monthly meetings of each ministry team is available for you to view in the Partners In Ministry Book located in the lower narthex. Lisa will be out of the office on Friday, May 18 th and on vacation May 29 th June 1 st. A volunteer will be in the office each morning from 9:00 am noon. Pastor Larry will be available if anyone needs assistance. Please call his cell phone Pastor out of the office Pastor Larry will be out of the office from May 1 st 3 rd while his wife Carolyn is having surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Please contact the church office if anyone needs pastoral assistance. 10

11 The First Lutheran Incident Response Team (F.L.I.R.T.) would like to invite you to become a member. As a member you will be serving our members by responding to an incident and providing aid to a friend in need. The following is our purpose statement. If you are interested, please pick up an application in the church office. PURPOSE: The First Lutheran Incident Response Team was created to have a group of people trained to respond to a variety of incidents that may occur in our church. WHAT THE TEAM DOES The team will determine how to respond to a variety of incidents. The possible incidents could include: a. a medical issue (heart issues, fainting, bleeding, etc.) which requires an immediate response b. fire that would require a quick exit from the building c. hazardous situation which requires moving people away from the source d. any weather issues (i.e. a tornado, severe thunderstorm, etc.) which requires moving people to safe shelter locations in our building e. a shooter incident and how to respond TEAM DESCRIPTION The team will consist of 6 core administrative members including the pastor. There will be other members to help with moving people to safe areas, lifting members in wheel chairs (or with people movers) up/down stairs, and guiding congregation members in the proper response for the situation. CPR, first aid, use of a fire extinguisher, and A.L.I.C.E. training will be required and provided as needed. Please direct any questions to Tom Weikart, Cindy Weikart, Kevin Miller or contact the church office. 11

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13 Biblewalk and Living Bible Museum 500 Tingley Ave., Mansfield, Ohio $11.00 per person based on 20 people minimum 13

14 Living Your Stewardship By: Carl Gillespie During the next few months, the Stewardship Ministry Team will be sharing thoughts on how to be better stewards in the monthly newsletter. Last year Pastor Larry and I attended a synod-lead seminar on Stewardship in the 21 st Century. At first I was going to decline the invitation. What more was there to learn about being a good steward that I didn t already know? However, after much thought, I felt it necessary to support our new pastor in this endeavor. What could it hurt? I soon found out. Stay tuned to learn more about our journey 14

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16 16 We are in need of Altar Guild volunteers for the month of July. Jan Van Hoose has volunteered to deliver the flowers for this month. If you can help, please contact the church office.

17 TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME!! A Night at the Columbus Clippers Saturday, July 21 st Game 7:15 pm All Tickets $14 each (Section 6) Fireworks Included! Everyone Welcome! Sign-up in the lower narthex. Deadline to order: Sunday, June 17 th 17

18 May Birthdays May Anniversaries 5/01 Sharon Thompson 5/01 Mason Swisher 5/04 Megan Bingaman 5/04 Marley Shields 5/06 Connie Johnson 5/06 Cheri Comstock 5/10 Dick Stang 5/12 Chris Gamble 5/13 Margaret Barger 5/13 Deborah Lillard 5/13 Dick Griffith 5/15 Lowell Huber 5/15 Krista Belser 5/15 Cody Allen 5/15 Olivia Kauffman 5/19 Madison Jones 5/19 Garrett Dixon 5/21 Judy Lunz 5/22 Betty Fultz 5/24 Stacie Jones 5/25 Garrett Comstock 5/26 Walter Smola 5/29 John Marshall 5/29 Karsyn Newkirk 5/31 Tom Jameson Open Altar Flower Dates We have several open dates for altar flowers in the coming months. Below are the dates. Please let the church office know if you would like any of these dates. May 6 (one vase) May 27 (one vase) July 1 (both vases) July 8 (one vase) July 22 (one vase) July 29 (one vase) August 19 (both vases) August 26 (one vase) September 2 (one vase) October 7 (one vase) November 4 (both vases) November 11 (one vase) November 18 (one vase) December 2 (one vase) 18

19 Ushers Serving in Worship MAY 2018 Ben Zoldak, Mike Zoldak Kevin & Robyn Miller Acolytes 5/6 Garrett Dixon 5/13 Zane Gamble 5/20 Emma Swisher 5/27 Lucas McKenrick Communion Assistants 5/6 Carl & Rachel Gillespie 5/13 Judy Hadley & Barb Triplett 5/20 Dave Comstock & Kay Schroer 5/27 Gary Kauffman & Connie Regula Crucifers 5/6 Lauren Dixon 5/13 Conner Gamble 5/20 Emma Heath 5/27 Jacob McKenrick Greeters 5/6 Terry & Judy Lunz 5/13 Jean Wright 5/20 Loren, Gloria & Misty Kipker 5/27 Dave & Cheri Comstock Communion Helpers 5/6 Brooks Bodin & Brayten Swisher 5/13 Winnie & Brooks Bodin 5/20 Noah & Eden Smith 5/27 Madison & Marley Shields Worship Assistants 5/6 Stephanie Oaks 5/13 Brenda Shively 5/20 Dick Griffith 5/27 Cindy Weikart Readers 5/6 Margie Bixler Altar Guild Colleen Bodin & Kris Swisher 5/13 Winnie Bodin 5/20 Cindy Weikart 5/27 Susan Wyckoff 19

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